Breezy Johnson: ‘Natural Born Downhiller’
A natural feel for the fall line — the most direct route down a mountain — is what every ski racer wants but only a select few have.
Breezy Johnson has certainly got it, and that's why she's considered one of the brightest young downhillers on the U.S. Ski Team.
"Her strong suit is that she always charges," Lindsey Vonn said. "She never holds back. She always skis with aggression."
Kind of like Vonn, the most successful downhiller of all time.
"Yeah, I would say it's similar," Vonn said. "Even if she makes a mistake she keeps fighting. ... She has a lot of confidence in herself and she knows what she's capable of doing and that's not always the case, especially with young skiers when it's their first or second time on a new track."
Having turned 21 this month, Johnson is setting career bests from one race to the next on the World Cup circuit. After an 11th place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, she improved to 10th last weekend in the Cortina downhill — the premier race on the women's circuit.